


Steve Versus Sports Talk Radio

by Neverever



Series: Steve Rogers, 21st Century Sports Fan [1]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Baseball, Friendship, Gen, Slice of Life, Talk Shows, sports talk radio
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-26
Updated: 2014-01-26
Packaged: 2018-01-10 03:29:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,620
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1154259
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Neverever/pseuds/Neverever
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Clint is surprised to find that Steve listens to sports talk radio.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Steve Versus Sports Talk Radio

Whether he liked it or not, Clint was on babysitting duty for most of the morning in the Tower keeping an eye on workers. Tony had called in contractors to fix the electrical systems on the training floor. Because it was Avengers business, he needed someone to keep an eye on the workers so that they wouldn’t get into areas they shouldn’t be. Clint pulled the short straw. Though admittedly, he had been flattered when Nat had pointed out that he was very observant and was really the best choice, even though it was really because he hadn’t worked up an excuse in time to escape the assignment like the others.

So Clint was surfing the internet about the upcoming field of Olympic archers as he listened to the workmen bitch about the Tower’s complicated electrics. Tony of course had already diagnosed the problem and left exact directions for the repairs. But like every contractor ever born, the electricians viewed Tony’s instructions with practiced suspicion and were working out the problem themselves, just in case Tony was wrong. From the conversations, Clint was not sure who was winning – Tony or the electricians.

One of the contractors interrupted Clint. “Do you mind if we put on the radio while we work?”

“Go for it,” Clint replied. The silence was beginning to get to him too.

They turned on a well-known sports radio channel. It was early spring, just before the start of baseball season. Clint could tell from the excited burst of conversation that some of the workers were big fans. The hosts were really into winding up their audience, teasing out possible big trades, contrasting the Yankees and Mets, dumping on the Red Sox and other lesser teams, complaining about old and new players, arguing with the callers. All in all, standard sports radio business.

Clint knew enough to follow along, though he was not a baseball fan like some he could mention. He half-listened as he moved along to browse articles on the pros and cons of new compound bow designs. That’s why he was caught off guard when a call came in.

_Hey, guys, it’s Steve from Brooklyn next. Hey, Steve, go ahead._

_Thanks, Rob, I just wanted to say that the Mets should be really going for more strength in the batting rotation than they have now._

_Really? More batters? Because they have serious problems with their closers._

Clint listened in shock as he heard Steve banter (banter! Steve did not banter) with the hosts about Steve’s perceptions about the Mets batting rotation and some great prospects in the AAA team.

“Steve from Brooklyn?” Clint pondered out loud. He had a lot of familiarity with the sound of Steve’s voice over a transmission.

One of the electricians was passing by. “Yeah, Steve calls in a lot. Really knows his stuff. He’s a big audience fave and the hosts like him.”

Clint rubbed his face. Of course the hosts would like him, everyone liked Captain America, even when he called into sports radio shows. He’d have to ask Steve why he was calling. Sports radio talk shows did not strike Clint as anything that Steve would like or even be aware of.

Freed from babysitting duty later that day, Clint joined Steve in checking over a new quinjet just delivered. As Steve leaned against the outside of the jet with his checklist, Clint brought up the radio show. “So, ‘Steve from Brooklyn’?”

Steve never even looked up from his clipboard. “Yes?”

“I never thought you’d call into a sports radio show, old man.”

Steve smiled a little. “Ordinarily probably not. But the season is starting next week.”

“You know those shows are full of loud, pushy people who aren’t nice. Kind of goes against your anti-bully thing.”

“I don’t like the afternoon shows and I never listen to the late night stuff,” Steve admitted. “The morning crew is pretty okay.”

“Yeah, maybe, but why call in the first place?”

“I don’t have many people to talk to about baseball. Nobody around the Tower is that interested, and Sam likes basketball more. And last time I said something about baseball around SHIELD, Fury ordered a couple of agents specifically to talk baseball with me.” Steve actually shuddered.

And Clint could imagine how well that conversation went. Focused SHIELD agents could get intense. “Go to a bar or something, man,” Clint suggested.

Steve shrugged. “I’ll think about it. But this works for now.”

After a little reconnaissance, Clint found out that Steve generally called in to the shows early, just after the morning crew came on at 5 am or on occasion after Steve did his morning run. Steve really did know his baseball stuff and the morning show hosts clearly enjoyed asking him questions. So maybe it was harmless. But Clint still worried that the hosts would turn on Steve. 

One morning Clint listened to the whole show as he cleaned up his equipment. The hosts were speculating on who Steve from Brooklyn really was. The week before, Steve had mentioned the Mets left fielder seemed to have an undisclosed arm injury and two days later the Mets announced the injury. The hosts thought that Steve was some sort of Mets insider. But Clint smiled to himself since that was Steve all over. If Steve did his homework when it came to the Avengers, he also did the same for his baseball team. 

But it was inevitable that someone would figure out Steve from Brooklyn was also Captain America.

Clint was driving to the Tower on his way back from an errand and heard Steve call in.

_Hey, it’s Steve, everyone. So Steve from Brooklyn, what do you have for us today?_

_Well, Rob, I’ve been thinking ---_

An alarm went off in the background. Clint groaned – he knew that alarm intimately. His phone started shrieking at him. He started to look for where he could leave the car and wait for further directions or pick up. 

Steve stuttered a little. _I’ve been thinking that ---_

 _Stars and Stripes, gotta get a move on here._ Tony’s voice boomed in the background.

 _Excuse me, I’ve got to go._ And Steve hung up.

Clint figured after that Steve would not be calling anymore. It didn’t help that the radio hosts would occasionally speculate on whether they actually talked with the real Captain America. He felt a little bad for Steve.

A week later, Steve asked, “Hey, Clint, want to come with me on an errand in the morning?”

“Sure, buddy, when?”

“Five thirty am?”

Clint sighed. He did not have the same love of early mornings that Steve did but it was Steve asking a favor. “Sure. Count me in.”

Steve picked up doughnuts on the way to the radio station. “Seriously, Steve, you want to do this?” Clint asked. 

“Well, just to tie up a loose end,” Steve said.

After the security confirmed that Steve and Clint were indeed Avengers, they were escorted up to the talk show studios. The producers were beyond excited when Steve introduced himself as Steve from Brooklyn. Soon enough, Clint was sitting next to Steve on one side of the studio across from two starstruck talk radio hosts. Clint was amazed. These guys talked to big sports stars all the time and yet here they were reduced to stunned silence in Steve’s quiet presence. 

The producers signaled that they were on the air. The hosts were spurred to action, and Rob, the lead host, announced, “Hey, listeners, we’ve got a treat for you today. Steve from Brooklyn stopped by the studio – great doughnuts by the way, Cap – and he is indeed Captain America. So, Steve, tell us about why you follow the Mets?”

“The Dodgers are in LA now and I like my teams local,” Steve said with a smile. "And there's no way I'd follow the Yankees."

The conversation lasted about an hour, give or take a few minutes and lots of commercials. But Clint thought it was worth it to see Steve relaxed and actually joking. He talked about going to games at Ebbets Field, watching the Dodgers in action during the 30s, the famous players he saw, and how he missed baseball during the war even with the occasional pick-up games among the soldiers. The hosts and Steve ended up talking about the Mets and their current season. Clint was surprised to find out how closely Steve followed baseball and how much he loved the game. 

At the end of the hour, during a commercial, he looked over Clint and then said, “We’ve got to go, guys. Maybe another time.”

“Anytime, Cap,” the hosts said, shaking Steve’s hand.

Outside the studio on the way to the car, Clint asked, “Why did you decide to do the show?”

Steve frowned. “To be honest, I was getting annoyed hearing them talk about me all week. I listen for the baseball talk and hearing about myself while running was very uncomfortable. So I figured I’d show up and introduce myself.”

“I would not complain if people were talking about me,” Clint offered.

“And that’s why I asked you to come along. You know, in case, things got difficult.”

Clint laughed. “My superpower is sarcasm.” They got into the car, with Steve driving as usual. “So, Steve, I’m not into baseball, but if you want, we could take a game in sometime or hang out at a sports bar.”

Steve became thoughtful. “I would like that, Clint. I’ll look at the game schedule and suggest some times.”

“So if we go to a game, does that mean I get out of a training session or two?” Clint asked.

“Not on a bet,” Steve replied not missing a beat.


End file.
